MESS ABOUT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does mess about mean? 

• MESS ABOUT (verb)
  The verb MESS ABOUT has 1 sense:

1. be about

  Familiarity information: MESS ABOUT used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MESS ABOUT (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be about

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

footle; hang around; lallygag; linger; loaf; loiter; lollygag; lounge; lurk; mess about; mill about; mill around; tarry

Context example:

Who is this man that is hanging around the department?

Hypernyms (to "mess about" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "mess about"):

lurch; prowl (loiter about, with no apparent aim)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP